Writing a Synthesis Essay
1. What is a synthesis?
A synthesis is a written discussion incorporating support from several sources of differing views. This
type of assignment requires that you exam
ine a variety
of sources and ident
ify their relationsh
ip to your
thesis.
• Analysis papers to examine related theories.
• For example a comparison between the theories of evolution or who shot JFK.
• Research papers to incorporate multiple sources.
• For example looking at economic and social effects of proposed legislation.
• Argument papers to compare differing views and support a coherent claim.
• For example, is Turn it in a violation of student’s rights? One side may argue that the
company steals students’ papers while others claim that students agree to have their work
archived.
• Business reports to examine differing ideas and blend into a coherent plan.
• For example, what are some of the plans to improve Toledo’s waterfront to attract more
3. Tips for an effective synthesis essay:
• Establish your purpose to shape the way you want to argue and form your thesis. The thesis is
• Select your sources and become familiar with them so that you can discuss them in relationship
to your thesis and sup
porting arg
ument(s). If you sim
ply quote sources withou
t evaluating them
then the sources w
ill control your pap
er and your audie
nce will may m
isinterpret the information.
• Develop an organizational plan. Arrange more than just one source per point; multiple sources
will increase your cre
dibility. Look
at how sources may
agree or disagree with
one another and
evaluate which source has better logic or more credibility.
• Evaluate or interpret each source, then show the relationship between the sources and your
thesis.
• Document each source; note the author and page number as well as listing the source on the
Works Cited page to avoid plagiarism. Th
is MUST be done i
f you quote, sum
marize or
paraphrase a source.